Duo to discuss improving minority relations

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CINCINNATI – Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell and Mayor John Cranley will attend a Department of Justice Forum next week, touting the city’s progress on policing and minority community relations.

The DOJ forum, titled “Strengthening the Relationship between Law Enforcement and Communities of Color,” will bring together law enforcement, community activists, civil rights organizations and civic leaders from across the country, to identify methods to bolster engagement in communities of color, according to the DOJ’s Community Oriented Policing Services office. The one-day forum is scheduled for Friday, April 4.

Cranley and Blackwell are expected to discuss programs and initiatives that improve relations with minority groups in Cincinnati, such as the growing African and Latino populations in the city’s west side.

Since the 2001 riots, a litany of violence-reduction initiatives and police protocols have been put in place. Stemming from the 2002 Collaborative Agreement with the DOJ, between the American Civil Liberties Union, Cincinnati Black United Front, the city and the police union, police have adopted community-oriented and evidenced-based policing strategies.

“Through our work with the Collaborative Agreement, Cincinnati is looked upon as a model for improving police-community relations,” Cranley said Thursday. “I think it’s important to tell our story and share ideas with police departments from around the country.”

Cranley helped negotiate the Collaborative Agreement.

WCPO Insiders can read more about the Department of Justice forum, and the programs Cranley and Blackwell will mention to attendees.